Up for some Competition?
by Swa-Sa Masou
Summary: A Letter Story What if an old foe, and an old plot, are to blame for the fateful letter?
1. Chapter 1

_**A/N: If you're in this fandom, you've probably read countless "the Letter" stories and explanations behind it. Ready for another one? Power Rangers isn't mine.**_

Tommy had been walking around outside for hours. Just walking. He couldn't let himself think. If he did, he would think about the letter still folded up and in his back pocket. He would think about the words Kimberly had written to him. He would think about the heartbreak threatening to rush up within him and overspill with every step, each beat of his heart, a sing miscalculated inhale and he would feel everything.

If any couple could make it through this, he was sure it was the two of them. They had always been so independent. They had never needed the other to be there, but things were just better together. As rangers, as students, and just as teenagers, they fit together perfectly, but they still functioned apart from each other. Surely, they could handle a distance relationship.

As a long-distance couple, they made sure to make time for each other, even with her training and with his ranger duties, they picked three times a month to have phone call "dates" and they wrote letters constantly. When she had been back for Christmas, it was like she had never been gone after the initial rush of finally seeing her, holding her, and being able to kiss her.

Then Kim had to leave again and it was rough, but this time they could see the finish line. The Pan Global games happened in June and then she would be done. She could come back, or they could decide on the next step of their lives together. Now… what?

Tommy was broken out of his trance-like walk by the voice of Katherine, the new Pink.

"Tommy, there you are, I've been looking all over for you!" Tommy met her eyes, looked at his surroundings, taking notice that he was in the park, and sat down at a nearby picnic table.

The tall blonde was out of breath, but looked happy to have found him, her tone and face not matching the next words to come out of her mouth. "I'm really sorry about that letter. That was a crummy way to find out." She sat down on the table-top next to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. If he just looked at her hand, it could be Kim; Pink sweatshirt sleeve, pink nails. No, Kim kept her nails short. The better for fighting putties, she had always said, but he knew it was easier to practice in gymnastics without the "danger" of breaking one.

He looked from the hand, after what he was sure was a longer pause than it needed to be. "Uh, thanks, Kat. What did you need that you've been looking for me?"

She scooched closer to him on the wooden frame. "I didn't need anything, I just wanted to make sure you were okay. You took off from the Youth Center so fast. I wanted to check on you."

Tommy moved away, stood up and looked at the sky. The moon had come out and stars had come to life in the time he had spent wandering around town. How long had he been walking anyway? "thank you. I'm not sure okay is the right word, but I'm not physically hurt. You can head home, I'll be fine."

He heard Kat stand up behind him, "It's all right. I don't mind staying with-."

"Tommy!" White and Pink clad teenagers turned toward their teammates who were rushing toward them across the park.

"Guys, what is it? What's wrong?" Tommy almost hoped it was a monster threatening Earth. He could use the distraction and channel his feelings toward stopping it.

Adam and Rocky came to a stop in front of him, both looking entirely too happy for this to be a life-threatening attack on the inhabitants of Earth.

Adam spoke first, "We've been thinking, ever since I handed that letter to you, it just didn't sound like Kim."

Rocky jumped in, "Yeah, we've known her for over a year, shared life-endangering missions with her. She can't have changed that much. Plus, we all know how she feels about you, this just feels off."

"Guys, I appreciate this, but she wrote it, it's her handwriting, and what's done is done." Tommy started to turn away, but Rocky clutched his shoulder, stopping him.

"What if it's not 'done is done'? We've been at the Command Center and Zordon agrees with us that it's fishy." The bright smile was still on Rocky's face, but Tommy was enraged.

Turning back fully to face his friends, Tommy exploded, "you talked to Zordon about my love life? Don't you think he has better things to worry about than a love-sick 18-year-old? That's also a huge invasion of my privacy. You had no right!"

Rocky had stepped back and was looking at the ground as though it had sprouted words to his favorite book. Adam stepped up next, "is it still wrong if Zordon agreed to teleport you down to Florida to check on her?"

Tommy was completely taken aback, "I, uh, What?"

Adam continued, "Yeah, Zordon thought it was weird and said that as she's not a ranger anymore, he can't get a reading on her, but he's willing to let you teleport to her, check on her, and if you think she's under some type of evil influence, you're supposed to bring her back for help."

He couldn't speak, he didn't know what to say. Finally, he broke into a smile, "Hey, guys that's so awesome, thank you!" Without another word, he touched his fingers to the button on his communicator and teleported to the Command Center.

* * *

"Zordon!"

The glowing white head floated in its tube, as normal. "I hear our original pterodactyl may be in some trouble, Tommy. You must go to her."

"Thank you, Zordon, you don't know how much this means to me." The figure seemed to smile, as much as he ever did.

"Tommy, you must hurry, if you are needed back here for Ranger duties, I will have no choice but to have Alpha contact you and bring you back. As this is a special trip, I'm afraid you will have to let us teleport you to and from. Contact Alpha or myself when you are ready to leave and let us know if you are bringing Kimberly with you. Good luck, and may the power protect you."

Tommy stepped back and adopted a ready stance as he felt the familiar tingling of long-distance teleportation begin to take hold.

* * *

*1 week earlier*

Kimberly was lying on her dorm room bed, finishing up an assignment from the school's private tutor when her phone rang. Picking it up, she suppressed a groan when she heard her mother's voice.

"Hello, Kimberly, you should have gotten a package from me earlier today, I wanted to know if you had opened it." Kimberly had actually received the package the day before, but had avoided opening it. Her mother meant well, but usually sent pictures of herself and her husband in Paris. Or else, even worse, news stories about the Power Rangers. It wasn't that she didn't want to see her mother happy or the success of her friends, but it all made everything feel so lonely. On top of that, every set of pictures she got from her friends made Kat seem _very_ friendly. She was always right next to Tommy, in _every_ picture. Maybe she was being too sensitive, but they always looked so close, even in ranger poses in the newspaper. She just hadn't felt like dealing with those emotions, so she left the box closed. Now, though, she couldn't avoid it.

Cradling the phone and walking to the box, she tore off the tape, "Thanks, Mom! I got it. Oooh, my favorite French chocolate. You're the best!"

She could hear her mother chuckling on the other end. "There's more if you look further down." She dug through the box and pulled out the news article of a fresh Power Rangers victory. She felt her breath catch, but, luckily, her mom didn't notice. "Kimmy, did you find it? You were always so interested in the Power Rangers when we lived in Angel Grove. I thought you might want another article to keep on top of the latest news!"

Choking back either anger or heartbreak, she managed to choke out, "Thanks, Mom, you're so thoughtful. I have to go, there's someone at the door. Love you, bye!" She hurriedly disconnected the call and sat down on the bed, staring at the picture.

Under the headline of "Power Rangers Pull Through!" was a picture of the entire squad. Usually, this wouldn't bother her, if it weren't for the positions of the Red and Pink clad figures. Although their faces were obscured by their helmets, the Pink Ranger was definitely looking down at the Red, from her vantage point of having her legs locked around his waist, as he had an arm around her lower back.

Several hours of on-and-off crying intermixed with staring off into space later and Kim finally pulled herself off of the bed. She looked in the mirror over her vanity table and tried to will away the tears, the puffiness around her eyes, and the grim certainty she felt that Tommy was falling for Kat and there was nothing she could do about it. She leaned her head against the cool glass and muttered, "can't someone just take this pain away?"

As she stared at her reflection, another face began to form before her eyes. Instead of her own, she could now see Rita Repulsa. As realization dawned, Kim jumped back and sank into a defensive stance. "What do you want? I'm not even a Ranger anymore!"

Rita laughed from the mirror, "Relax, Kimmy, I'm not even really in your room. I'm just using your mirror to talk to you. You asked for someone to take the pain away and here I am. Like your wicked witch- godmother!"

Kim straightened up, "Wicked Witch? Godmother? Talking to me in a mirror? I think you're mixing up a few children's stories there. Why would you want to help me, anyway? Haven't you vowed to destroy me a few times?"

"Oh my little former Pink Ranger, I have no problems with you now that you're not a Ranger! And my gift to you would not only fix your problem, but it would make sure you never wanted to be a Ranger and a pain in my rear ever again! If we can get enough of the original Rangers off the team, then maybe Zeddy and I can come back and try again." Rita ended her monologue with her signature over-gesticulations and gazed at Kim with what was probably supposed to be a smile, but looked more like a grimace.

"Oh Whatever, Rita, the Rangers will always find a way to beat you." Kim crossed her arms and sank back down onto the bed. It seemed clear that Rita was only in the mirror and she was in no danger.

"If you're so sure, then why not take my gift? I'll just leave it here for you to use or not as you please!" Before Kim could object, Rita swirled the tip of her wand in a circle and a coil of rope appeared on Kim's table.

As Kim hopped up to look more closely at it, she opened her mouth to ask what it was, how it worked, and what the end result would be, but as she looked to the mirror, all she saw was her own reflection looking back at her. It wasn't glowing, it wasn't moving on its own, it really just looked like a coil of every day rope.

Whatever. It was late. She still hadn't replied to Tommy's latest letter, not that she knew what to say in the face of mounting evidence that she was losing him. She was tired. And, lastly, she was in no mood for games from Rita. She grabbed at the rope and threw it roughly on the ground so she could put her hair up before bed.

As she stood up from the vanity and hit the light switch, Kim's foot caught on the end of the rope and she fell face-first into the bed, fast asleep.

* * *

Upon waking, she heard knocking on her door. Throwing on a robe and opening the door enough to peer out, she greeted two other gymnasts from the same program.

"Hey Kim," a tall redhead greeted, "want to get some breakfast before heading to morning workout with us?"

Kim sneered at the two girls she had been friends with, amazed that she hadn't seen it before. "As if, you two probably just want to sabotage me in this competition so I don't take a slot from one of you." With that, she slammed the door in the faces of her very confused friends.

Turning back to her room, she noticed a mess of rope on the floor and kicked it into her closet and then sat down with a piece of paper and a pen.

"I've got to focus on my gymnastics! What have I been thinking, holding onto Tommy back in Angel Grove? It's splitting my focus. I have to win. I have to be perfect. He's just a distraction. I have to get rid of him." She began to write out a break-up letter, re-read it, and decided it was too harsh. It needed to be worded just right. She knew Tommy, he would question her if she didn't give just the right explanation.

"Well, if he can have someone new, then so can I. I'll even make mine better for me than Kat could ever be for him. Let's see, he'll be 'kind,' 'caring,' and 'sensitive.' That sounds good. I'll make it sound like I'm just _so sorry_ over it. Yes, that's great." Kim folded the piece of paper and slipped it into the envelope.

Kim changed into a practice leotard, grabbed the letter and a bottle of water, and slipped out of her dorm to mail away her last distraction, practice until she bled, and win this spot in the Pan-globals.

* * *

~Tommy in Florida~

Landing in the cover of a tree outside the gymnasium, Tommy took a minute to orient himself.

What if she had really written that letter? What if she really had fallen in love with another guy? What if this other guy was going to be at this practice? He wished he could morph and draw strength from that before walking inside.

This was ridiculous. He loved her just as much as she loved him. He was always thinking about her. He had to do this, if only for closure. If only for his sanity. With a deep breath, he pulled the door to the gym open.

Immediately, he was spotted by the coach who had come to see Kim back in Angel Grove. "Hey, you, you're from California. You were one of Kimberly's friends, right?"

Tommy was unsure how to respond to that. What if she had given specific instructions for him not to be let in? "Umm…"

"I'm bad with names son, but I'm good with faces. It's part of my job to analyze visual details to make my gymnasts better. Very good visual memory. No listen, I need you to talk to her. She's gotten crazy competitive in the last week. I don't know what's going on, but she' become very driven here." He moved closer to Tommy and put a hand on his shoulder, forcing Tommy to hunch down a little, "Not that that's a bad thing, but she's barely taking the time to eat or sleep, she's blowing off her school work, and she's not working with the team. It's just individual practice all the time. Maybe you know her well enough to snap her out of it?"

"I, umm, I can try it sir. I am down here to visit her." The coach slapped him on the back.

"That's good! She needs to take some time to recharge. I like dedicated gymnasts, but she's going to hurt herself like this and she hates it when I make her take a break." He back away from Tommy, picked up a clipboard, and began shuffling pages.

Tommy assumed that was all the instruction he was going to get and wandered farther into they gym. He looked through all the equipment until he spotted her, on the beam, rotating on the toes of one foot while the other was being pulled up by her ear. How she could put herself in these positions was anyone's guess, but he knew it had saved her life on more than one occasion.

As he drew closer, he knew exactly what her coach had meant. She had deep circles under her eyes, she looked much thinner than her usual already petite frame, and all-in-all, she looked about ready to crack.

He went right up the edge of the mat and waited for her to notice him, not wanting to scare her and cause her to fall. When she finally looked down, she let out a yelp, and dismounted, although without as much grace as she usually did.

With hands on hips, Kim strutted over to him. "Tommy, what are you doing here? Didn't you get my letter?"

Joining Kim on the mat and leaning back against the beam, Tommy slid his hands into his pockets before speaking. "Yeah, Kim, I did. That's why I'm here. It seemed off. Zordon and Alpha agreed, so they teleported me down here to make sure nothing, well, Ranger-y had happened to you."

Kim huffed at him, "Well, clearly you can see that I'm fine, so if you'll move away from my beam, I can get back to my routine." She placed a hand on the beam as though to hoist herself up, but Tommy placed his own on top of hers.

"You don't seem to be in any danger at the moment, but you are acting strange. And with what your coach said to me, you clearly don't have another guy down here. He said you haven't even been taking enough time off practice to sleep properly, let alone have a secret boyfriend. What is it Kim. You can tell me. If you want me out of your life, just tell me straight. Don't lie to me."

Kim fixed him with a cold gaze. "Yes, Tommy, I want you out of my life so I can practice. I have to be perfect and I can't do that with you in my way. So if you would kindly move your sweaty hand off of mine, I can get back to winning."

Kim intended to stare him down, but Tommy wasn't flustered. He had stared down too many beings who wanted him dead to be intimidated by this pixie-like brunette. He also wasn't convinced that she was okay. Some of her words were triggering a memory of another plot, earlier on in their relationship. "Actually, no. You get to take a break. Your coach even said so. He doesn't want you practicing right now, so you might as well come for a walk with me. If you can convince me that everything is fine, I'll go home and you never have to hear from me again."

Kim ripped her hand out from under his and threw her arms into the air. "Is that the only way you'll leave me alone and let me focus on winning? Fine, I'll come with you. Ten minutes, Let me grab my bag and I'll come outside for ten minutes. Then I need to get back inside. All that matters to me anymore is winning. Kim sauntered away, still visibly upset with him.

Tommy lifted his communicator to his mouth so he could whisper into the mouthpiece. "Zordon, I'll be outside with Kim in one minute. Be ready to teleport us. She isn't going to want to come."

His communicator crackled to life, "Is it as we feared, Tommy? Is Kim under an influence of evil?"

"I'm not positive, Zordon, but she's acting really weird. And it seems familiar. If I'm right, you're going to have to get some roses ready."

Tommy signed off and walked toward the door to open it for Kim as she joined him. "Okay, start talking, I mean it. Ten minutes has started and then I'm going back inside. I- Hey, what are you doing?" Tommy had led her behind the same tree he had teleported to previously, grabbed Kim's wrists and felt Zordon tug them both back to the Command Center.


	2. Chapter 2

_**A/N: I've been re-watching MMPR on Netflix and I completely forgot about Zeo. I knew that Tommy was Red Turbo, but I forgot that they had powers between Ninjetti and Turbo, and that it would have been those powers Tommy has when Kim writes the letter. So, I guess in this story, they just still have the Ninjetti powers. Sorry for the continuity glitch!**_

The current Ranger leader and his unwilling teleportation passenger landed safely in the Command Center. As soon as they had fully materialized, Tommy released Kim and she backed away from him as quickly as possible.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Kim was visibly livid, and, to be fair she had a right to be. Tommy was still having a hard time believing that he had just grabbed her against her will and forcibly brought her somewhere. Never had he done that to any woman (when he was turned into the Evil Green Ranger didn't count), but especially not to Kim. He had always let her have the lead in physical situations, but what else could he have done?

Tommy knew there was going to be no talking sense into her, so he ignored her and turned to Zordon. "Zordon, can you do a scan to see if she's been infected with the competition rope like when she and I were running against each other for Class President? That's what it seems like is happening."

As Zordon answered affirmatively, Kim started to scream at both of them, "I don't need help. I don't need you to save me from anything. I need to get back to my gym and keep practicing. I'm not infected with anything! I needed you out of my life so I could focus." Turning just to Zordon, Kim put on her sweetest voice and smile, "Zordon, everything is fine, see? Send me back!"

Kim had once said that Zordon was like a father to her, to all of the Rangers, but she wasn't going to fool him with that. "I'm sorry Kimberly, but it appears that Tommy is right. You have indeed been affected by an old trick from Rita. You will need to cure yourself the same way as you did last time." A bouquet of roses appeared on the control panel to her right. "You will need to smell the roses."

Kim started to move toward the door of the Command Center, her sneer back in place, having dropped the sweet and innocent act she had tried to adopt for Zordon's benefit. "No way, you both are crazy. I'm going to get myself back to Florida if neither of you will send me back."

Tommy was struck with a sudden idea. He grabbed the bouquet and ran to stop her from leaving. "Hold on, I bet you one teleportation back to Florida that these flowers will change your mind about wanting to go. If I'm wrong, Zordon will send you back. Unless you're too scared to do it."

Kim snatched the flowers from his hand. "Yeah right, you think I'm really going to fall for that? You're just trying to taunt me so I'll smell them."

As that had been his plan, Tommy lost hope for a moment, but then he came up with a plan B. As Kim was still lecturing him, gesturing wildly with the flowers, something along the lines of 'how dumb do you think I am?' He had his second genius idea. Childish as it was, he shoved the flowers into her face, forcing her to smell the flowers as she took her next breath in. The bouquet fell from her grasp as both hands went to her forehead and she staggered backwards.

Tommy was there to catch her as she started to fall backwards. "Woah, Kim, deep breath. Easy does it." He steadied her and helped her right herself. "How do you feel?"

Kim had still not removed her hands from her head and was looking down. When she finally looked up at him, there were tears forming in her eyes. "Oh Tommy." she threw her arms around his neck and began to sob. He barely had time to react and wrap his arms around her before she gasped, pushed herself back from him, and began to back up toward the door again. A whispered "sorry" escaped her lips as she turned and ran full tilt toward the exit. Tommy was so shocked that he hadn't even registered what was going on until she was out the door.

Tommy turned to look at Zordon, slightly embarrassed that all of this had happened with their mentor watching. "Thank you, for everything, Zordon. I think this is beyond your help now. I've got to go after her." And Tommy swiftly made for the same set of doors that Kimberly had just exited through.

* * *

Kim hadn't gone far outside of the Command Center. Although it was isolated enough that you were unlikely to run across it without looking for it, the Command Center was still within about a half an hour's walk of the city. Tommy figured that he would take off in that direction and hope to run into her, but she was crouched against the wall of the concrete building, crying again.

"Hey, want some company out here." He was unsure what to do. Kim was a decently emotional person, so he had dealt with her crying before. She had even cried over something bone-headed he had done before. He had never felt so helpless as he did now, though. Was he even her boyfriend? If she wrote that letter while under the influence of evil, did the break up count?

Kim sniffled and wiped at her eyes. "Tommy, I'm so sorry. The things I said in there, and in the gym back in Florida. I was so awful. Thank you for not giving up on me." Tommy sank to the ground beside her. He carefully placed a hand on her shoulder, hoping that she wouldn't shrug it away. "After all this time, I guess I still need you to save me, huh?"

Well, she had made eye contact with him, and had let him touch her. He took these as positives and slid his hand across her back so the he could pull her closer. "Hey, I needed saving from that too, remember? We didn't get ourselves out of it last time, our friends had to save us. And you've saved me from plenty of things. Your love and determination to not give up on me has helped me overcome anything we've fought, no matter the plans of those working evil around us."

Kim sniffled and hunched forward, hugging her knees to her chest. "Thanks, Tommy. We've sure been through a lot, huh?" She chuckled, sounding anything but amused. "You know, you don't have to stay here. You rescued me, you got the spell to wear off, and now you can head back to Angel Grove. I'll be fine. Zordon can send me back now."

It was not lost on Tommy that Kim had adopted a very defensive position. Not in the fighting sense, but in the keeping him shut out sense. "Kim, I know you want to get back to your training, but I think you've been working hard enough the last few days. Besides, I haven't seen you in months, leaving your side is the last thing I want to do." He tried to re-position himself sot that he would be able to have his arm around her again, but she abruptly stood up.

Looking down at him, she had her hands on her hips, "Tommy, we both know that's a bad idea. It would just be too painful." Tommy quickly leapt to his feet, but his heart sank as he did so. The letter was real? He had really been hoping it was part of the Competition Spell.

He grabbed at one of her hands and caressed the back of it with his thumb, convincing himself to look her in the eyes.

Kim on the other hand was trying to hold back the tears. If he was in love with Kat, why did he have to act so, so… Tommy-ish? He was acting like he was just as concerned about her, like he loved her just as much as he always had. She knew that wasn't true. She knew that he wanted to be with Kat, the evidence was everywhere. Even if he hadn't cheated on her, yet, the inclination was there.

He finally met her eyes, oh gosh, this was going to be it. He was going to let her know that he didn't want to see her again, that there's someone else. "So, what you said in the letter was true? The spell was just a coincidence? You really did mean to break up with me?" Tommy's voice wavered throughout these short questions. It seemed like just the words pained him.

Hearing the words hit Kim in the gut. Especially since Tommy sounded so broken saying them. Kim pulled her hand form his grasp and gently stroked his cheek. "Oh, Tommy." She couldn't look at him any longer. She was about to burst into tears. She strode past him, about to re-enter the Command Center when he voice, just barely above a whisper hit her ears.

"Kim, I deserve to know." She turned to face him, one hand still about to slide the door, he looked broken. She knew he must be torn. He was a good guy, and having feelings for Kat must have been eating at him.

Taking a deep breath, Kim sighed, "No, Tommy, my letter wasn't real. But your feelings for Katherine are." Kim ducked back into the Command Center, fully intending for Zordon to send her back to Florida.


	3. Chapter 3

_**A/N: Chapter three. Sorry if any of you are thinking this will be a long story with a very involved plot(as some of the reviews are leading me to believe). It's really just a quick thing fixing Tommy and Kim's relationship.**_

" _but your feelings for Katherine are."_ the words echoed around and around Tommy's head before he finally registered that he needed to stop Kim from leaving.

* * *

"Kim!" there was no way she could hear him from outside, but he screamed her name anyway. He kept screaming it, through the door of the Command Center and down the hall to Zordon's chamber. "Kim, wait!" He skidded to a halt, clearly interrupting Kim's explanation to Zordon and request to send her back. There were tears shining in her eyes, she was clearly trying not to burst into tears again.

"I'm sorry, Zordon, but I really need to talk to Kim." He turned to her. "Kim, you can't leave like this. I think we're both confused. Please, let's go back to Angel Grove and talk it through. Please, hear me out, beautiful." The use of her nickname broke her down again and the tears were able to flow freely once more. "Kim, I love you, please." He held out a hand to her, willing her to accept it and come with him. Somewhat to his amazement, and very much to his relief, she did.

Kim swiped under her eyes and turned to Zordon, "I'm sorry for all of this drama, Zordon. Thank you for putting up with all of this." The floating figure just smiled as Tommy pulled Kim from the main chamber.

* * *

As the two exited into the heat of the barren landscape surrounding the Command Center, Tommy struggled to find a way to bring up what Kim had just accused him of. Was all of this because she thought he was cheating on her? Did she really think he was capable of that? Kat was just a friend. What he and Kim had, well, that was something you don't find all the time. It was special, and he desperately hoped it would be one to defy the statistics of high school couples never staying together.

Kim had dropped their linked hands and had stuffed hers into the pockets of the sweatshirt she had thrown on over the sweats and leotard she'd been wearing at the gym. "Tommy, you asked me to hear you out, and now you're not saying anything. Come on."

Tommy sighed, "That's because I don't know where to start, Kim! I'm far from being an expert on women, but I'm pretty sure my girlfriend of almost two years just accused me of cheating on her." He stopped walking so that he could look her in the eyes. "And I have no clue where she got that idea or if it's my fault. And if it is my fault, I have no idea how to fix it."

Kim's mind went into overdrive. He has no clue where she got the idea? Was he kidding? Like they weren't always together? Like she didn't see how Kat always looked at him? Like every single picture had them touching in some way?

"Tommy, I never pictured you as someone to try to play a girl. I thought I knew you better than that. I figured you were just waiting to break up with me until we were together in person again. I never thought you could stand here like this and lie to me." Kim huffed and kept walking. If she went back to Zordon, Tommy would just convince him not to send her back again. She had no choice but to go to Angel Grove and try to contact her mom. Rocky and Adam were still there. She could go to one of them for help, even. They might teleport her back.

"Woah, Kim. I'm not lying to you! Would you stop being so quick to believe the worst in me? This isn't like you. Please, tell me why you think I'm involved with Kat." He began to jog to keep up with her. This was something he remembered all too well. If Kim was sure of something, it would take a long explanation to change her mind. If she had set her mind to something, she didn't like to change it. And when she had a plan in mind to fix whatever was in her mind, then it was very hard to get her to slow down or stop.

Kim was breathing hard now. Working out in the gym had given her a great workout everyday, but the over-training as a result of Rita's spell had left her weaker than she would have liked. Even so, she kept her eyes straight ahead and kept walking. She was determined not to allow herself to cry again. "You're right, this isn't like me. You want to know why you don't know this side of me? It's my defensive side for when I'm angry and hurt. How do you think it felt, seeing picture after picture of you in the Ranger uniforms, after some big victory, hugging Kat. Seeing her glommed onto you holding up that stupid victory symbol with her hand that she likes to do. The rest of the world might not have noticed that the Pink Ranger grew about a foot, but I sure did. She's hanging on you in every picture! It didn't bother me at first, but then you started to hold onto her too. Your hand is always at the small of her back, around her shoulders, around her waist. Do you realize that after the most recent monster, she jumped on you and you're holding her around the waist while she's got her legs locked around you, Tommy? She's practically trying to have sex with you while you've still got the suits on!"

The heavy breathing now wasn't just because of the physical exertion anymore. Kim was getting worked up and finally voicing all of the frustrations she had been holding in since leaving the team. "It's not just when it's Ranger stuff either. In every picture from anyone in the group, it's the same story. The letters and pictures Rocky and Adam send me are supposed to help me feel like they're still including me. I know it's because they miss me, but all I can see is that she's leaning over you, or leaning _on_ you, she has an arm around your shoulder, flipping your ponytail for goodness sake! I can't just ignore all of that. Add in the times when you've been late calling me and you've told me it was because Kat was just leaving and what am I supposed to think? I'm not stupid, Tommy, really I'm not. Seeing that picture with her legs wrapped around you was just the last straw. Rita saw it, she took advantage of me breaking down, and she tricked me with an old spell. End of story."

Tommy had listened to all of this, thinking through everything she was throwing at him. He had no idea all of this was even happening. When she said it all like that, he had to admit, it seemed really suspicious. He meant it when he said he was in love with Kim. He had no feelings for Kat. He just thought they were good friends and that she was having trouble making more of them.

He was surprised to look out and see that they were coming up on the outskirts of Angel Grove and were approaching the park. Specifically, they were nearing the lakeside of the park where they had shared their first kiss. They had been through far too much together to let it end now, and in this way.

"Kim, I don't know what to say other than that I'm really sorry. I guess I never looked at it that way. I didn't see it until you laid it all out like that. If you're right, then yeah, I guess Kat probably does have feelings for me, but they're not returned, I promise you."

Kim crossed her arms as they came toward a picnic table, similar to the one Tommy had vacated earlier. She scoffed, "Yeah, sure, you never noticed the constant touching and wanting to see you all the time? I don't believe that."

She sat down in a huff on the edge of the bench. Tommy Stood next to her, dying to sit down and hold her, but knowing that he shouldn't push her right now. " Kim, you know me. I wasn't exactly reading the signs very well with you. I wanted you, Kim, and I still couldn't tell that you wanted me. I'm sure it seems like she was always on me to you because you only got small segments of our lives. We would all be hanging out at the youth center and someone would decide to take a picture. I didn't realize she's always around me. You remember what the victory was like. Adrenaline still pumping, seeing that all your friends are still alive. You're hugging and laughing with everyone. My guess is some reporter likes the way Pink and White look together, so they always look for that shot. Or maybe Kat plans it. I don't know. All I know is that I don't plan it. Just like I don't plan what friends are at my place on our phone call nights. It just happens, I notice the time, they leave, and I call you. I don't want to do anything that could hurt you, and I definitely would never be disloyal to you."

After this, Tommy did move to sit on the edge of the table itself, so that his leg was brushing up against her arm. "As for that last picture you mentioned? Yeah, I did notice that one. I told her that wasn't okay. She ran at me after we got out of our zords and she jumped. What was I supposed to do? Let her fall? I'm sorry that it made you uncomfortable, but she was out of line, and I mentioned it to her. I'm sorry, Kim. That's what I've got. You can either trust me or you can't."

Kim leaned her head against Tommy's knee. Of course there was an explanation. Of course Tommy wasn't doing anything on purpose, he was just being clueless. If she had taken the time to mention this, even once, to anyone, this whole mess could have been avoided. "Hey, Handsome?"

Tommy's heart skipped a beat as she used the name that only she ever used. He slid down the wood so that his arm was around her, "yeah, Beautiful?"

Kim tilted her head to look up at his eyes. "I don't think I want to be gone anymore." Kim leaned her head against Tommy's chest and looked out at the grass waving in the wind of her actual home.


	4. Chapter 4

_**A/N: Still don't own Power Rangers, but excited as all get out over the reboot movie! Probably the last chapter, sorry if you wanted a more in-depth story!**_

The next two weeks flew by in a blur for both Kim and agonized on in a dead crawl for Tommy.

Kim had to make her way back to Florida, with a little morphenomenal help from Zordon and sort everything out. She talked to her coach. She talked with her teammates. With her recent behavior, no one was surprised that she was simply burned-out and homesick. They had all noticed that she wasn't doing so well, so it didn't shock anyone when her dorm room was packed up.

Kim had just one person left to tell: her mother. It had been such a hard sell to get her to agree to go to Florida in the first place. She could still hear her mother's voice echoing across the Atlantic, _"Angel Grove is one thing, your whole life is there, but Florida? Without me? I just don't know, honey." "How many other girls has this coach promised this opportunity to?" "But what about school? Your friends? Tommy?"_ Yes, her mother who had been lukewarm about their relationship since she realized it was more than just a high school fling ( _shouldn't you date around in high school? See want kind of man you want to be with?)_ had even tried to bring up Tommy as a reason she shouldn't move.

Truth be told, that tactic had almost worked.

After an agonizing conversation about moving back to Angel Grove and being able to handle the last few months of high school, and countless assurances that she wasn't throwing away a dream for Tommy (well that switch flipped drastically), her mother assented. Kimberly Hart was officially moving back to Angel Grove.

Meanwhile, Tommy was supposed to keep this a secret until she really moved back. They had agreed that it would be better to keep from saying something until it was all for sure. Zordon knew, of course, and they realized that she would not be joining the Ranger team, but she could always be the one working on a solution in the Command Center while everyone else did damage control if the situation warranted. Billy would enjoy having someone to work with.

Keeping his mouth shut was absolute torment. Especially since he had to find a way to explain what had happened to Rocky, Adam, Tanya, and Kat without really saying what they planned to do. Kat seemed to be taking it the hardest of all. Tommy hadn't wanted to believe Kim about Kat. He had wanted to brush it off as jealousy acquired from a distance, but Kat's mood when he told everyone that they had worked it out and would continue to work it out proved him false. Why did girls always have to be so smart about what other girls wanted?

He also had the added stress of monsters attacking every other day. He had to stay close to all of his teammates just like he normally would, but now he seemed to be hyper-aware of Kat's proximity to him. He made sure that there was always someone between them.

Finally, the day that Kim was moving back arrived. She had shipped all of her things two days prior and called him from the airport before she boarded that plane. She was almost home! Tommy was in the juice bar with the entire group when Kim entered. He had just seen her less than 14 days ago, but her hair, her smile, her legs, and finally her voice captivated him. This gorgeous, funny, bright, dedicated woman could never leave him. He would certainly fall apart.

No one else had noticed her entrance. Of course, they weren't staring at the entrance as unobtrusively as possible waiting for her. Tommy jumped up and all but ran to the doorway to greet her. She dropped the carry-one she'd been grasping and enveloped him in a hug as well. Generally, they weren't a couple that broadcasted a lot of PDA, but this was a special occasion. Tommy picked up her and spun her around before dipping her into low kiss. It clearly shocked his friends as they watched from the nearby table.

Soon enough, they unfroze and rushed to greet her. To Tommy's amazement, even Kat seemed genuinely excited to see her predecessor. It seemed like this could all work out.

The group all settled down and soon everyone was talking over each other about what to do

It was a thoroughly enjoyable afternoon. Kim, however, couldn't help but notice the looks that Kat was giving her and Tommy. Tommy, undoubtedly hadn't noticed. He seemed to be absolutely enraptured by having her by her side again. Why had she ever wanted to leave?

As everyone gradually wandered home, the juice bar's population decreased until only Tommy, Kat, Kim, and Rocky remained. Kim had a sudden idea. "Hey, Handsome, I've missed seeing you spar. Care to show me if Rocky can still kick your butt on the mat?" She gave him a devilish smile, followed quickly by a giggle. The giggle quickly morphed in to a full on laugh as he pulled her onto his lap and began to tickle her.

"Oh, you think that will work, huh? If you wanted to see me work out, you could just say so. You don't have to say a completely false statement to goad me into it." Rocky faked being offended for a moment before getting up to go warm up, throwing a casual, "you're on." Over his shoulder.

As the boys stretched, Kim moved closer to Kat, so they could talk quietly. "It's great to have you back, Kim." The tall blonde threw an arm around Kim's shoulders. Kat was a truly nice girl. It was what made Kim so sure she could be a reliable Pink.

Kim returned the smile, but knew she had to bring up a hard conversation, "Kat, as much as I love being back, I think you and I need to clear the air."

Kat withdrew her arm and her smile seemed to crash off of her face. "No, Kim, it's all right. I was acting foolishly. We're good. Really." Kat's tone seemed to convey that this conversation was the last one in the world that she wanted to have.

Kim reached out a hand and placed it gently over Kat's. "It's okay. You saw Tommy hurting and missing me. You know he's a sweet guy, who any girl would be lucky to have, and you acted in a way that, although it made me insanely jealous and upset, I understand it." Kim sighed, Tommy had kept the specifics of what had happened to her and how the letter came to be written to himself. "In fact, my jealousy over what I saw through pictures of you and Tommy is what prompted all of these issues. I saw how close the two of you were in every photo and I got scared that I was losing him. I felt heartbroken and in my weakness, Rita tried to trick me. Tommy saved me. He always finds a way to save me."

Kat's eyes shone with tears that she didn't want to fall. It was obvious to Kim, and anyone else if they cared to look that she was sorry for what she almost accomplished, but also that she really cared for Tommy. Kim gave her hand a gentle squeeze. "If you care to look, Kat, I think I see someone who is always read to save you." Kat's startled expression made it clear to Kimberly that she had indeed been the only one to notice Rocky's lingering gazes toward Kat all night. To Kim, there was no doubt why Rocky was staying as long as Kat and why he was so quick to spar with Tommy. "Rocky's a great guy, maybe you should give him a chance."

At that, Kim stood up and went down to the mats to congratulate Tommy and offer Rocky a helping hand to his feet. Giving the new Blue a quick hug goodbye and taking Tommy's hand, Kimberly set off for the doorway. She paused to pick up her bag, gave Kat a pointed look and almost imperceptibly tipped her head toward the aforementioned Ranger before ducking out of the youth center with Tommy.

Kat looked up at Rocky walking towards the table where he'd left both her and his school bag.

Had his smile always been so bright?


End file.
